Iran’s diplomatic surge extends to Gulf

Source: Al-Monitor (Read full story)

Years of tension between Iran and its Arab neighbors on the other side of the Gulf seem to be easing less than a week after the signing of a deal between Iran and the UN Security Council in the path to a comprehensive solution.  UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed was the first of his Gulf counterparts to visit Tehran to show his country’s support, calling for stronger ties between Iran and the UAE — “ties beyond the normal relations between neighbors and partners.”  The Emirati official stressed the importance of cooperating with Tehran to find solutions for the “crises in the region, mainly in Syria and Afghanistan [and] especially terrorism and sectarian strife, through politics.”

…

Iran breaks the ice with Kingdom

Source: Arab News (Read full story)

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Sunday his country wanted stronger ties with Saudi Arabia, as it seeks to ease concerns among Gulf neighbors about a potential resurgence in its influence following a nuclear deal with world powers.  … “This agreement cannot be at the expense of any country in the region,” Zarif, said at a news conference after discussions with his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sheikh Sabah Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. “We look at Saudi Arabia as an important and influential regional country and we are working to strengthen cooperation with it for the benefit of the region,” Zarif said.

…

‘Inflation to stay around 2-3% in 2013’

Source: Times of Oman (Read full story)

The average rate of inflation in Oman is likely to hover around a reasonable level of two to three per cent this year, against the government’s budget projection of four per cent, thanks to a fall in both, global commodity prices and rent.  “We were anticipating a rise in food prices, which did not happen, and rents are declining in the real estate sector. These are the main reasons why we were able to keep the inflation rate low,” Hamoud Sangour Al Zadjali, Executive President of Central Bank of Oman, told the Times of Oman.  Oman’s annual inflation, based on the consumer price index, remained at an extremely low level of 0.55 per cent in September on month-on-month basis.

…

Royal push for higher education

Source: Arab News (Read full story)

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on Sunday approved several educational projects. …  “The royal approvals covered the restructuring of several colleges, including the college of public health and health information and college of nursing at Umm Al-Qura University, college of arts and designs for girls and college of home economics at King Abdulaziz University,” said Higher Education Minister Khaled Al-Anqari. … Monitoring agencies in the Kingdom should work for strengthening the values of fairness and the rule of law, the minister said. He noted the remarkable progress achieved by the Kingdom’s higher education, with the number of public universities reaching 25 and private universities 10.

Iran Foreign Minister Wants to Start ‘New Page’ With Gulf States

Source: Bloomberg News (Read full story)

Iran is moving to improve relations with Saudi Arabia and end a conflict with the United Arab Emirates over islands in the Persian Gulf after signing an agreement last month to end a deadlock over its nuclear program. … Now, Iran wants to end a dispute with the U.A.E. over the island of Abu Musa, [Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad] Zarif said. “We will negotiate with our friends in the U.A.E. to resolve this problem,” he said.  Zarif’s comments followed a Nov. 28 visit to Tehran by U.A.E. Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

SR271bn projects: Banks compete for finance deals

Source: Arab News (Read full story)

A group of local and global banking and financial institutions have engaged in a fierce competition to win the funding of energy and mining projects worth SR271 billion expected to be awarded in 2014, local media said quoting experts. Power and energy projects are worth SR140 billion while mining projects will cost SR131 billion amid government’s sincere support to the exploitation of mining resources meant to boost economic and industrial development in the Kingdom, Al-Riyadh daily said quoting the experts.

…